Apply to Humanities Awards & Scholarships
Discover a range of scholarships and awards offered within the Humanities Division to help you excel in your academic pursuits. These opportunities are designed to recognize your hard work, support your study of the humanities, and inspire further success in your academic career. Explore the available awards, check eligibility requirements, and apply today. To learn more about scholarships and other financial assistance, visit the financial aid office.
Divisional Awards
David A. Kadish Humanities Scholarship
Cowell alumnus David Kadish (History, ‘73) has been giving back to UC Santa Cruz for many years. He had a close personal relationship with Professor Emeritus John Dizikes and helped establish the John Dizikes Endowment in Music and the Dizikes Faculty Teaching Award. David also gave generously to what is now the College Scholars Program. David established this endowed scholarship in 2017, and the inaugural David A. Kadish Humanities Scholarship Award was awarded in Spring 2018.
Eligibility Criteria : If you’re a UC Santa Cruz undergraduate student with financial need who displays a strong interest in studying the humanities, you may be eligible for this award. You must be a registered student in good standing during the Spring 2025 quarter and declared in one of the Humanities Division majors.
Award : $3,000
Deadline : March 14th, 2025
Application Requirements : Submit a 500-word statement describing how the Kadish Award would help you to overcome obstacles to engaging fully in your studies or to complete an academic or creative project in the humanities.
How to Apply : APPLY NOW
Jay Family Humanities Scholarship
Greg Jay (Porter, ‘74) and his wife Martha met at Porter (then College Five) and were married in the Pogonip in 1979. Martha is a retired eye surgeon, and Greg recently retired as a literature professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Eligibility Criteria : If you are a UC Santa Cruz undergraduate student with financial need who displays a strong interest in the study of the humanities and has an academic focus on social justice and diversity, you may be eligible for this award. You must be a registered student in good standing during the Spring 2025 quarter and declared in one of the Humanities Division majors.
Award : $5,000
Deadline : March 14th, 2025
Application Requirements : Submit a 500-word statement describing how the financial support from the Jay Family Humanities Scholarship would help you overcome obstacles to engaging with or completing an academic or creative project related to social justice and diversity.
How to Apply : APPLY NOW
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
Judy Yung Memorial Fund in Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies
This fellowship seeks to honor the spirit of Yung’s socially committed scholarship by supporting students who work in the community archives and/or work to preserve the oral histories of Asians, Asian American, Asian diasporic, Pacific Islander, Pacific Islander American, and Pacific Islander diasporic populations.
Eligibility Criteria : This application is open to UCSC undergraduate and graduate students with research interests in oral history and/or community archives. Preference will be given to CRES majors and Black Studies minors and graduate students with a Designated Emphasis in CRES.
Award : Up to $1,500
Deadline : February 20th 2025
Application Requirements : Submit a 750-word project proposal, a timeline of completion (must indicate completion by end of 2025-2026 Academic Year), an itemized budget, and resume/CV.
Selected applicants will be expected to complete a final write-up of their project that may be used on the CRES website and/or in the CRES Newsletters. Pictures to document the project will be encouraged.
How to Apply : APPLY NOW</a >
Classical Studies
History
History of Consciousness
Jewish Studies
Mollie Cass Sater Memorial Scholarship in Jewish Studies
Dr. William F. Sater has been giving back to UC Santa Cruz annually since 1990 in honor of his daughter Rachel Sater (Kresge, ‘93). In 2020, Professor Sater established this scholarship endowment in tribute and memory of his mother, Mollie Cass Sater.
Eligibility Criteria : If you are a UC Santa Cruz undergraduate student with financial need who displays a strong interest in Jewish Studies, you may be eligible for this award. You must be a registered student in good standing during the Spring 2025 quarter and declared in one of the Humanities Division majors.
Award : $3,500
Deadline : March 14th, 2025
Application Requirements : Submit a 500-word statement describing your interest in Jewish Studies and pursuing this at UC Santa Cruz. Please also provide a separate list of Jewish Studies courses you have taken at the university and other relevant activities (for example, writing for Leviathan). Finally, please submit a 250-word statement describing how financial support from the Mollie Cass Sater Memorial Scholarship in Jewish Studies would help you overcome obstacles to engaging with or completing your work at the university.
How to Apply : APPLY NOW
Languages and Applied Linguistics
Linguistics
Literature
Philosophy
Writing Program
